New national flower – Rosa de Bayahibe

In July 2011 the Dominican National Congress approved a bill confirming the Bayahibe Rose (Rosa de Bayahibe) as the country’s national flower.

The dark-pink pereskia quisqueyana is native to the area of Bayahibe, east of La Romana. Currently on the endangered species list, the pereskya is a type of cactus and the quisqueyana variety is known for its beautiful flowers. In total, there are seventeen species of this kind, including five that are native to the Dominican Republic. Two, specifically, are endemic to the region. This particular species grows in humid or semi-wet tropical surroundings.

In 1977 botanist Alain Henri Liogier discovered pollen from this plant dating back to 1,300 BC.